Valve Reveals Companion Cube Cosmetic For Dota 2 Hero

Dota 2's latest Arcana revives Portal's most famous inanimate object

By
Sam Stewart

Valve has revealed a companion cube cosmetic for lo in Dota 2.

Dota 2 fans will likely remember last year's hotly contested Arcana vote, a fan poll that helps Valve decide which of the game's 113 playable heroes will be getting a new cosmetic that completely overhauls the character's design, including new animations, sounds, and skill icons. Last year's contest was the strangest yet, with the finalists being Juggernaut, one of the Dota 2's most played carries, and Io, an incredibly unpopular support hero. Most fans agree that Io only made it so far as a joke among the community, but in the end the votes were close with Juggernaut barely winning, taking 52% of the votes.

Io fans that were hoping to get another shot in this year's Arcana vote were dismayed to see the hero removed from the bracket this time around, but today Valve revealed that Io's Arcana, the Benevolent Companion, has already been developed and is now included as a reward in this year's International Battle Pass. Io, who normally appears as a simple ball of light, has been converted into a cube resembling everyone's favorite Aperture test object from Portal, complete with hearts adorning each of its sides. The Arcana also includes all new skill animation, such as floating hearts when you Tether to a teammate, and orange and blue portals that appear when you cast the hero's Relocate ultimate.

As previously mentioned the Benevolent Companion is being included as a prize in this year's International Battle Pass, and will be rewarded to any player that reaches compendium level 245. Compendium levels can be earned by completing quests within Dota 2, or purchased from the in-game store (for reference, buying enough levels to get this Arcana outright would cost you approximately $110 USD). Of course you would also be getting plenty of other in-game rewards along the way, which you can learn more about over at the Dota 2 Blog.

Sam Stewart is a freelance writer for IGN and avid Dota 2 fan. You can follow him on Twitter.